Device for sampling tea and sealing packages



(No Model.)

T. E. WARDWELL. DEVICE FOR SAMPLING TEA AND SEALING PAGKAGES.

Patented Sept 11, 1894.

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Nr'rno ra'rns" THEODORE E. WARDWELL, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,878, dated September 11, 1894.

Application filed January 24, 1894. Serial No. 497,872. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE E. WARD- WELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Sampling Tea and Sealing Packages; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide an article of this class which shall be so simple and inexpensive to produce that the article itself shall be used to seal the package after samples have been removed. It is the practice in tea houses to take samples from various packages and then to seal them up again. The usual mode of procedure is to make a cross out in the wrapping of the chest or else to out a piece out of the wrapping and then bore a hole through the chest itself. Whenever a sample of tea is required it is raked out with the fingers or any convenient implement. This practice results in a serious waste of tea each time a sample is taken out as there is no way to prevent tea from dropping outside of the chest and from getting between the wrapping and the chest, and furthermore no convenient means is provided for closing the hole in the chest. After the sampling is finished it has been the practice to nail a plate of tin over the hole.

My present invention enables me to provide a device which may be placed upon the chest the moment a hole is bored in it which will prevent waste of tea in taking samples, which may be readily and effectually closed as soon as a sample has been removed and which when the sampling is finished may be used as the permanent cover for the hole, the device being so inexpensive that it is not worth removing and thus renders the use of a special closing plate unnecessary.

With these ends in view I have devised the novel construction which I will now describe referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation showing my novel device in the open position; Fig. 2, a similar View showing the device in the closed position;

Fig. 3, a section on the line 0cm in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, aback view of the plate, and Fig. 5 is a view of the chute as it is blanked out from the plate.

1 denotes the plate which is preferably made of tin the edge being turned over to form Ways 2 to receive the closing slide 3. The plate is provided at its lower edge with a notch 4 the purpose of which will presently be explained and with an elongated opening 5. This opening is made large enough to register with a hole 6 of the ordinary size which is bored in the side of the chest, denoted by 7. The object in making this opening elongated is to enable the maker to take therefrom sufficient metal to form the chute 8. The shape of this chute as blanked out is clearly shown in Fig. 5. It is sufficient to say that the usual shape of the chute is such that when curved to position and attached in place as will presently be explained it will form a guard for the hole in the chest, will lie at a proper incline to permit the tea to pass out readily and will prevent any Waste of tea as all the tea that leaves the chest is received by the chute. The metal at one side of the blank for the chute is cut away leaving a central strip 9 which in attaching is bent down on the inner side of plate 1 the end thereof being passed through thenotch and bent over the face of the plate as clearly shown in Fig. 3. On each side of strip 9 .the metal is cut away in a concave curve and is also provided with cuts 10. In attaching the chute the blank is curved to fit the lower end of opening 5 and the tongues of metal between the cuts, denoted by 11, are bent over the back of the plate 1 as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. These tongues in connection with strip 9 hold the chute securely in use. Plate 1 may or may not be provided with holes 12 for nails, small screws or tacks. The closing slide is curved as at 13 at its lower end to correspond with the curvature of the base of opening 5 and the edge of said curve when it engages the chute closes the opening perfectly. At one side of the slide is a notch 14 which is adapted to engage the top of plate 1 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 to retain the slide at the raised position. The opposite edge of the slide may be trimmed off as at 15 so as to permit that edge of the slide to pass down into the way and be securely locked in place while at the raised position. At the upper end of the slide I preferably provide a lift 16 which is formed from the metal of the slide.

When the sampling from a chest of tea has been finished the user raises the closing slide to theposition shown in Fig. 1 and then bends down the lower end of strip 9 by which the chute has been held in place. The chute may then be removed by lifting it up and drawing strip 9 out from between the chest and plate. The chute being useless is thrown away and the closing slide is moved down until opening 5 is fully covered. The slide may be locked in this position by crushing the ways down upon it by one or two blows of a hammer or if preferred one or two nails or tacks may be driven through it and into the chest to lock it in its sealing position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A device for sampling tea and closing the package consisting of a plate having an opening through it, a removable chute adapted to be attached thereto and a slide adapted to engage the chute to close the opening in use and also to seal the package after the chute is removed.

2. A device of the class described consisting of a plate having an opening through it,

a chute formed from metal removed in making the opening and adapted to be secured at the lower end of the opening and a slide curved at its lower end to engage the chute whereby the opening is closed and the package may be sealed after the chute is removed.

3. A device of the class described consisting of a plate having an opening through it, a chute formed from metal removed in making the opening and provided with a strip 9 and tongues 11 by which it is attached in place at the lower end of the opening and a slide curved at its lower end to correspond with the curvature of the opening and the chute.

4. A device of the class described consisting of a plate having ways 2 and an opening through it, a curved chute adapted to be secured at the lower end of the opening and a slide adapted to move in the ways and provided with a notch 14 in one side which is adapted to engage the top of the plate to lock the slide in the raised position.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE E. VVARDWELL.

Witnesses:

A. M. Woos'rnn, SUsIn V. RICHARDSON. 

